Visiting the suspended monasteries in Meteora is one of the most popular day trips from Thessaloniki . There are three ways to get from Thessaloniki to Meteora: by bus, by train or by car.

By bus

The buses are run by KTEL but the company’s website is not tourist friendly at all. It’s impossible to find any timetable online and if you want to call them, you have to speak Greek (and pay a hefty fee for the call).

There are about six buses daily which connect Thessaloniki to Kalampaka, the city located near Meteora. The journey takes about 3 hours. The first bus is at 8 a.m. and the last one at 9 p.m. (they depart about every 3 hours). The tickets are around €15 per person, one way. Once you are in Kalampaka you can either take a local bus to take you to the monasteries (1/2 hour ride) or embark on a long hike.

By train

There aren’t any direct trains between Thessaloniki and Kalampaka / Meteora. You need to change trains in Larissa. There are three connections daily and no matter which one you take, you’ll be spending about 1-2 hours in Larissa. The total travel time is between 2h 50 min and 4 h 18 min, depending on the type of train you are taking and the time spent in Larissa waiting for the connection. Once you get to Kalampaka, you need to either take a local bus or hike to Meteora.

The schedule can be found on DB Bahn but you cannot get the prices here. The Greek Railways Website (OSE ) is also in English but the city names are in Greek alphabet so it’s pretty much impossible to navigate the timetables.

By car

Renting a car is the best option if you don’t like to change trains or worry about bus departures. The cost can be as low as €15 per day for a compact car.

The driving distance between Thessaloniki and Meteora is 216 km and it takes about 2.5 hours. Part of the drive is on E90 (route 15) which is a partial toll road.

Here’s a map to help with directions:

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Other related information:

>>Getting from Athens to Thessaloniki
>>Getting from Athens to Piraeus
>>Getting from Athens to Meteora
>>Getting from Athens to Santorini
>>Getting to Halkidiki
>>Getting from Athens to Istanbul
>>Getting from Athens to Corfu
>>Getting from Thessaloniki to Kavala